The Alpine team, competing in the Formula 1 World Championship, issued a press statement supporting its driver Franco Colapinto, after TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson made a joke that he would impose a grid penalty on him simply for being Argentine.
For its part, the Renault-owned team stated in its press release that it was aware of the comments made by a guest of the team in Austin during a recent TV interview, without naming Clarkson. The statement noted that these are personal opinions that do not align with the team's values of promoting goodwill and respect, affirming that Franco is their driver and receives their full support.
Clarkson, known for presenting the British car shows "Top Gear" and "The Grand Tour" on Amazon, made the joke during a live interview on a satellite channel before the start of the US Grand Prix. Colapinto faces a 10-place grid penalty for Sunday's race at the Austin circuit due to changes in power unit components.
Colapinto enjoys widespread popularity among Argentine fans and has repeatedly had to issue statements calling for restraint, after his rivals and even team colleagues faced online abuse. The Argentine driver clarified in a previous statement that negative comments had recently crossed the line, noting that some fans looking for someone to blame for race incidents targeted his mechanics and engineers.
Colapinto added that the technicians working with him, the engineers, and the team members who want to perform well and help him deliver good results receive a lot of hatred, pointing out that he deals with this type of message daily.
Source: Arriyadiyah newspaper
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